Numbers 1 - 6
1 ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE SECOND MONTH in
the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, the LORD
spoke to Moses at the Tent of the Presence in the wilderness of
Sinai in these words: 'Number the whole community of Israel by families
in the father's line, recording the name of every male person aged twenty
years and upwards fit for military service. You and Aaron are to make a
detailed list of them by their tribal hosts, and you shall have to assist you
one head of family from each tribe. These are their names:
of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;
of Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;
of Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab;
of Issachar, Nethaneel son of Zuar;
of Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon;
of Joseph: of Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud;
of Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;
of Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;
of Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;
of Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran;
of Gad, Eliasaph son of Reuel;
of Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.'
These were the conveners of the whole community, chiefs of their fathers'
tribes and heads of Israelite clans. So Moses and Aaron took these men who
had been indicated by name. They summoned the whole community on
the first day of the second month, and they registered their descent by
families in the father's line, recording every male person aged twenty years
and upwards, as the LORD had told Moses to do. Thus it was that he drew
up the detailed lists in the wilderness of Sinai:
The tribal list of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by families in the father's
line, with every name of every male person aged twenty years and upwards
fit for service, the number in the list of the tribe of Reuben being forty-six
thousand five hundred.
The tribal list of Simeon , by families in the father's line, with the name
of every male person aged twenty years and upwards fit for service, the
number in the list of the tribe of Simeon being fifty-nine thousand three
hundred.
The tribal list of Gad, by families in the father's line, with the names
of all men aged twenty years and upwards fit for service, the number
in the list of the tribe of Gad being forty-five thousand six hundred and
fifty.
The tribal list of Judah, by families in the father's line, with names of
all men aged twenty years and upwards fit for service, the number in the
list of the tribe of Judah being seventy-four thousand six hundred.
The tribal list of Issachar, by families in the father's line, with the names
of all men aged twenty year and upwards fit for service, the number in
the list of the tribe of Issachar being fifty-four thousand four hundred.
The tribal list of Zebulun, by families in the father's line, with the names
of all men aged twenty years and upwards fit for service, the number in the
list of the tribe of Zebulun being fifty-seven thousand four hundred.
The tribal lists of Joseph: that of Ephraim, by families in the father's
line, with the names of all men aged twenty years and upwards fit for
service, the number in the list of the tribe of Ephraim being forty thousand
five hundred; that of Manasseh, by families in the father's line, with the
names of all men aged twenty years and upwards fit for service, the num-
ber in the list of the tribe of Manasseh being thirty-two thousand two
hundred.
The tribal list of Benjamin, by families in the father's line, with the
names of all men aged twenty years and upwards fit for service, the number
in the list of the tribe of Benjamin being thirty-five thousand four hundred.
The tribal list of Dan, by families in the father's line, with the names of
all men aged twenty years and upwards fit for service, the number in the
list of the tribe of Dan being sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
The tribal list of Asher, by families in the father's line, with the names
of all men aged twenty years and upwards fit for service, the number in the
list of the tribes of Asher being forty-one thousand five hundred.
The tribal list of Naphtali, by families in the father's line, with the names
of all men aged twenty years and upwards fit for service, the number in the
list of the tribe of Naphtali being fifty-three thousand four hundred.
These were the numbers recorded in the detailed lists by Moses and
Aaron and the twelve chiefs of Israel, each representing one tribe and being
the head of a family. The total number of Israelites aged twenty years and
upwards fit for service, recorded in the lists of fathers' families, was six
hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty. A list of the Levites
by their fathers' families was not made.
The LORD spoke to Moses and said, 'You shall not record the total
number of the Levites or make a detailed list of them among the Israelites.
You shall put the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle of the Tokens, with
its equipment and everything in it. They shall carry the Tabernacle and
all its equipment; they alone shall be its attendants and shall pitch their
tents round it. The Levites shall take the Tabernacle down when it is due
to move and shall put it up when it halts; any unqualified person who
comes near it shall be put to death. All other Israelites shall pitch their
tents, each tribal host in its proper camp and under its own standard. But
the Levites shall encamp round the Tabernacle of the Tokens, so that
divine wrath may not follow the whole community of Israel; the Taber-
nacle of the Token shall be in their keeping.'
The Israelites did exactly as the LORD had told Moses to do.
2 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and said, 'The Israelites shall
encamp each under his own standard by the emblems of his father's family;
they shall pitch their tents round the Tent of the Presence, facing it.
In front of it, on the east, the division of Judah shall be stationed under
the standard of its camp by tribal hosts. The chief of Judah shall be Nahshon
son of Amminadab. His host, with its members as detailed, numbers
seventy-four thousand six hundred men. Next to Judah the tribe of
Issachar shall be stationed. Its chief shall be Nethaneel son of Zuar; his
host, with its members as detailed, number fifty-four thousand four
hundred. The number listed in the camp of Judah, by hosts is one hundred
and eighty-six thousand four hundred. They shall be the first to march.
'To the south the division of Reuben shall be stationed under that stan-
dard of its camp by tribal hosts. The chief of Reuben shall be Elizur son
of Shedeur; his host, with its members as detailed, numbers forty-six
thousand five hundred. Next to him the tribe of Simeon shall be stationed.
Its chief shall be Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai; his host, with its members
as detailed, numbers fifty-five thousand six hundred and fifty. The num-
ber listed in the camp of Reuben, by hosts, is one hundred and fifty-one
thousand four hundred and fifty. They shall be second to march.
'When the Tent of the Presence moves, the camp of the Levites shall
keep its station in the centre of the other comps; they shall all move in the
order of their encamping, each man in his proper place under his standard.
'To the west the division of Ephraim shall be stationed under the stan-
dard of its camp by tribal hosts. The chief of Ephraim shall be Elishama
son of Ammihud; his host, with its members as detailed, numbers
forty thousand five hundred. Next to him the tribe of Asher shall be stationed.
Its chief shall be Pagiel son of Ocran; his host, with its members as detailed,
numbers forty-one thousand five hundred. Then the tribe of Naphtali: its
chief shall be Ahira son of Enan; his host, with its numbers as detailed,
numbers fifty-three thousand four hundred. The number listed in the
camp of Dan is a hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred. They
shall march, under their standards, last.'
These were the Israelites listed by their fathers families. The total
number in the camp, recorded by tribal hosts, was six hundred and three
thousand five hundred and fifty.
The Levites were not included in the detailed lists with their fellow-
Israelites, for so the LORD had commanded Moses. The Israelites did
exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses, pitching and breaking camp
standard by standard, each men according to his family in his father's line.
3 THESE WERE THE DESCENDANTS OF AARON and Moses at the time
when the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. The names of the sons
of Aaron and Nadab the eldest, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. These were
the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests who had been installed in
the priestly office. Nadab and Abihu fell dead before the LORD because they
had presented illicit fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai. They
left no sons; Eleazar and Ithamar continued to perform the priestly office
in their father's presence.
The LORD spoke to Moses and said, 'Bring forward the tribe of Levi and
appoint them to serve Aaron the priest and to minister to him. They shall
be in attendance on him and on the whole community before the Tent of
the Presence, undertaking the service of the Tabernacle. They shall be in
charge of all the equipment in the Tent of the Presence, and be in attend-
ance on the Israelites, undertaking the sevice of the Tabernacle. You shall
assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons as especially dedicated to him out
of all the Israelites. To Aaron and his line you shall commit the priestly
office and they shall perform its duties; any unqualified person who in-
trudes upon it shall be put to death.'
The LORD spoke to Moses and said, 'I take the Levites for myself out of
all the Israelites as a substitute for the eldest male child of every woman;
the Levites shall be mine. For every eldest child, if a boy, became mine
when I destroyed all the eldest sons in Egypt. So I have consecrated to
myself all the first-born in Israel, bot man and beast. They shall be mine.
I am the LORD.'
The LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai and said, 'Make a
detailed list of all the Levites by their families in the father's line, every
male from the age of one month and upwards.'
Moses made a detailed list of them in accordance with the command
given him by the LORD. Now these were the names of the sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath and Merari,
Descendants of Gershon, by families: Libni and Shimei.
Descendants of Kohath, by families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and
Uzziel.
Descendants of Merari, by families: Mahli and Mushi.
These were the families of Levi, by fathers' families:
Gershon: the family of Libni and the familiy of Shiei. These were the
families of Gershon, and the number of males in their list as detailed, from
the age of one month and upwards, was seven thousand five hundred. The
families of Gershon were stationed on the west, behind the Tabernacle.
Their chief was Eliasaph son of Lael, and in the service of the Tent of the
Presence they were in charge of the tabernacle and its coverings, of the
screen at the entrance to the Tent of the Presence, the hangings of the court,
the screen at the entrance to the court all round the Tabernacle and the
altar, and of all else needed for its maintenance.
Kohath: the family of Amram, the family of Izhar, the family of Heb-
ron, the family of Uzziel. These were the families of Kohath, and the
number of males, from the age of one month and upwards, was eight
thousand six hundred. They were the guardians of the holy things. The
families of Kohath were stationed on the south, at the side of the Taber-
nacle. Their chief was Elizaphan son of Uzziel; they were in charge of the
Ark, the table, the lamp-stands and the altars, together with the sacred
vessels used in their service, and the screen with everything needed for its
maintenance. The chief over all the chiefs of the Levites was Eleazar son
of Aaron the priest, who was appointed overseer of those in charge of the
sanctuary.
Merari: the family of Mahli, the family of Mushi. These were the
families of Merari, and the number of males in their list as detailed from
the age of one month and upwards was six thousand two hundred. Their
chief was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were stationed on the north, at the
side of the Tabernacle. The Merarites were in charge of the planks, bars,
posts, and sockets of the Tabernacle, together with its vessels and all the
equipment needed for its maintenance, the posts , sockets, pegs, and cords
of the surrounding court.
In front of the Tabernacle on the east, Moses was stationed, with Aaron
and his sons, in front of the Tent of the Presence eastwards. They were in
charge of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites; any unqualified person
who came near would be put to death.
The number of Levites recorded by Moses on the detailed list by
families at the command of the LORD was twenty-two thousand males
aged one month and upwards.
The LORD said to Moses, 'Make a detailed list of all the male first-born
in Israel aged one month and upwards, and count the number of persons.
You shall reserve the Levites for me—–I am the LORD——in substitution for
the eldest sons of the Israelites, and in the same way the Levites cattle in
substitution for the first-born cattle of the Israelites.' As the LORD had told
him to do, Moses made a list of all the eldest sons of the Israelites, and the
total number of the first-born males recorded by name in the register, aged
one month and upwards, was twenty-two thousand two hundred and
seventy-three.
The LORD spoke to Moses and said, 'Take the Levites as a substitute
for all the eldest sons in Israel and the cattle of the Levites as a substitute
for their cattle. The Levites shall be mine. I am the LORD. The eldest sons
in Israel will outnumber the Levites by two hundred and seventy-three.
This remainder must be ransomed, and you shall accept five shekels for
each of them, taking the sacred shekel and reckoning twenty gerahs to the
shekel; you shall give the money with which they are ransomed to Aaron
and his sons.'
Moses took the money paid as ransom for those who remained over when
the substitution of Levites was complete. The amount received was one
thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels of silver by the sacred
standard. In accordance with what the LORD had said, he gave the money
to Aaron and his sons, doing what the LORD had told him to do.
4 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and said, 'Among the Levites,
make a count of the descendants of Kohath between the ages of thirty and
fifty, by families in the father's line, comprising everyone who comes to
take duty in the service of the Tent of the Presence.
'This is the service to be rendered by the Kohathites in the Tent of the
Presence; it is most sacred. When the camp is due to move, Aaron and his
sons shall come over again a violet cloth all of one piece; they shall then put its
poles in place. Over the Table of the Presence they shall spread a violet
cloth and lay on it the dishes, saucers, and flagons, and the bowls for dink-
offerings; the Bread regularly presented shall also lie upon it; then they
shall spread over them a scarlet cloth and over that a covering of porpoise-
hide, and put the poles in place. They shall take a violet cloth and cover
the lamp-stand, its lamps, tongs, firepans, and all the containers for the
oil used in its service; they shall put it with all its equipment in a sheet of
porpoise-hide slung from a pole. Over the gold altar they shall spread a
violet cloth, cover it with porpoise-hide covering, and put its poles in
place. They shall take all the articles used for the service of the sanctuary,
put them on a violet cloth, cover them with a porpoise-hide covering, and
sling them from a pole. They shall clear the altar of the fat and ashes, spread
a purple cloth over it, and then lay on it all the equipment used in its service,
the firepans, forms, shovels, tossing-bowls, and all the equipment of the
altar, spread a covering of porpoise hide over it and put the poles in place.
Once Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the
sacred equipment, when the camp is due to move, the Kohathites shall
come to carry it; they must not touch it on pain of death. All these things
are the load to be carried by the Kohathites, the things connected with the
Tent of the Presence. Eleazar son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of
the lamp-oil, the fragrant incense, the regular grain-offering, and the
anointing oil, with the general oversight of the whole Tabernacle and its
contents, the sanctuary and its equipment.'
The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and said, 'You must not let the
families of Kohath be extirpated, and lost to the tribe of Levi. If they are
to live and not die when they approach the most holy things, this is what
you must do: Aaron and his sons shall come and set each man to his
appointed task and to his load, and the Kohathites themselves shall not
enter to cast even a passing glance on the sanctuary, on pain of death.'
The LORD spoke to Moses and said, 'Number the Gershonites by
families in the father's line. Make a detailed list of all those between the
ages of thirty and fifty who come on duty to perform service in the Tent
of the Presence.
'This is the service to be rendered by the Gershonite families, comprising
their general duty and their loads. They shall carry the hangings of the
Tabernacle, the Tent of the Presence, its covering, that is the covering of
porpoise-hide which is over it, the screen at the entrance to the Tent of
the Presence, the hangings of the court, the screen at the entrance to the
court surrounding the Tabernacle and the altar, their cords and all the
equipment for their service; and they shall perform all the tasks connected
with them. These are the acts of service they shall render. All the service
of the Gershonites., their loads and their other duties, shall be directed by
Aaron and his sons; you shall assign them the loads for which they shall be
responsible. This is the service assigned to the Gershonite families in
connection with the Tent of the Presence; Ithamar son of Aaron shall be
in charge of them.
'You shall make a detailed list of the Merarite families in the father's
line, all those between the ages of thirty and fifty, who come on duty to
perform service in the Tent of the Presence.
'These are the loads for which they shall be responsible in virtue of their
service in the Tent of the Presence: the planks of the Tabernacle with its
bars, posts, and sockets, the posts of the surrounding court with their
sockets, pegs, and cords, and all that is needed for he maintenance of them;
you shall assign to each man by name the load for which he is responsible.
These are the duties of the Merarite families in virtue of their service in
the tent of the Presence. Ithamar son of Aaron the priest shall be in charge
of them.'
Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the community made a detailed list
of the Kohathites by families in the father's line, taking all between the
ages of thirty and fifty who came on duty to perform service in the Tent
of the Presence. The number recorded by families n detailed lists was
to thousand seven hundred and fifty. This was the total number in the
detailed lists of the Kohathite families who did duty in the Tent of the
Presence; they were recorded by Moses and Aaron as the LORD had told
them to do through Moses.
The Gershonites between the ages of thirty and fifty, who came on duty
for service in the Tent of the Presence, were recorded in detailed lists by
families in the father's line. Their number, by families in the father's line,
was two thousand six hundred and thirty. This was the total recorded in
the lists of the Gershonite families who came on duty in the Tent of the
Presence, and were recorded by Moses and Aaron as the LORD had told
them to do.
The families of Merari, between the ages of thirty and fifty, who came
on duty to perform service in the Tent of the Presence, were recorded
in detailed lists by families in the father's line. Their number by families
was three thousand two hundred. These were recorded in the Merarite
families by Moses and Aaron as the LORD had told them to do through
Moses.
Thus Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of Israel made a detailed list of all
the Levites by families in the father's line, between the ages of thirty and
fifty years; these were all who came to perform their various duties and
carry their loads in the service of the Tent of the Presence. Their number
was eight thousand five hundred and eighty. They were recorded one
by one by Moses at the command of the LORD, according to their
general duty and the loads they carried. For so the LORD had told Moses
to do.
5 THE LORD SPOKE TO MOSES and said: Command the Israelites to expel
from the camp everyone who suffers from a malignant skin-disease or a
discharge, and everyone ritually unclean from contact with a corpse. You
shall put them outside the camp, both male and female, so that they will
not defile your camps in which I dwell with you. The Israelites did this:
they put them outside the camp. As the LORD had said when he spoke to
Moses, so the Israelites did.
The LORD spoke to Moses and said, Say to the Israelites: when anyone,
man or woman, wrongs another and thereby breaks faith with the LORD,
that person has incurred guilt which demands reparation. He shall confess
the sin he has committed, make restitution in full with the addition of one
fifth, and give it to the man to whom compensation is due. If there is no
next-of-kin to whom compensation can be paid, the compensation payable
in that case shall be the LORD's, for the use of the priest, in addition to the
ram of exception with which the priest makes expiation for him.
Every contribution made by way of holy-gift which the Israelites bring
to the priest shall be the priest's. The priest shall have the holy-gifts which
a man gives; whatever is given to him shall be his.
The LORD spoke to Moses and said, Speak to the Israelites in these
words: When a married woman goes astray, is unfaithful to her husband,
and has sexual intercourse with another man, and this happens without
the husband's knowledge, and the crime is undetected, because, though
she has been defiled, there is no direct evidence against her and she was
not caught in the act, but when in such a case a fit of jealousy comes over
the husband which causes him to suspect his wife, she being in fact defiled;
or when, on the other hand, a fit of jealousy comes over a husband which
causes him to suspect his wife, when she is not in fact defiled; then in either
case, the husband shall bring his wife to the priest together with the pre-
scribed offering for her, a tenth of an ephah of barley meal. He shall not
pour oil in it nor put frankincense on it, because it is a grain-offering for
jealousy, a grain-offering of protestation conveying an imputation of guilt.
The priest shall bring her forward and set her before the LORD. He shall
take clean water in an earthenware vessel, and shall take dust from the
floor of the Tabernacle and add it to the water. He shall set the woman
before the LORD, uncover her head, and place the grain-offering of pro-
testation in her hands; it is a grain-offering for jealousy. The priest shall
hold in his own hand the water of contention which brings out the truth.
He shall then put the woman on oath and say to her, 'If no man has had
intercourse with you, if you have not gone astray and let your yourself become
defiled while owing obedience to your husband, then may your innocence
be established by the water of contention which brings out the truth. But
if, wile owing him obedience, you have gone astray and let yourself
become defiled, if any man other than your husband has had intercourse
with you' (the priest shall here put the woman on oath with an adjuration,
and shall continue), 'may the LORD make an example of you among your
people in adjurations and swearing of oaths by bringing upon you mis-
carriage and untimely birth; and this water that brings out the truth shall
enter your body, bring upon you miscarriage and untimely birth.' The
woman shall respond, 'Amen, Amen.' The priest shall write these curses
on a scroll and wash them off into the water of contention; he shall make
the woman drink the water that brings out the truth, and the water shall
enter her body. The priest shall take the grain-offering for jealousy from
the woman's hand, present it as a special gift before the LORD, and offer it
at the altar. He shall take a handful from the grain offering by way of token,
and burn it at the altar; after this he shall make the woman drink the water.
If she has let herself become defiled and has been unfaithful to her husband,
then when the priest makes her drink the water that brings out the truth
and the water has entered her body, she will suffer a miscarriage or un-
timely birth, and her name will become an example of adjuration among
her kin. But if the woman has not let herself become defiled and is pure,
then her innocence is established and she will bear the child.
Such is the law for cases of jealousy, where a woman, owing obedience
to her husband, goes astray and lets herself become defiled, or where a fit
of jealousy comes over a man which causes him to suspect his wife. He
shall set her before the LORD, and the priest shall deal with her as this law
prescribes. No guilt will attach to the husband, but the woman shall bear
the penalty of her guilt.
6 The LORD spoke to Moses and said, Speak to the Israelites in these
words: When anyone, man or woman, makes a special vow dedicating
himself to the LORD as a Nazirite, he shall abstain from wine and strong
drink. These he shall not drink, nor anything made from the juice of grapes;
nor shall he eat grapes, fresh or dried. During the whole term of his vow
he shall eat nothing that comes from the vine, nothing whatever, shoot or
berry. During the whole term of his vow no razor shall touch his head; he
shall let his hair grow long and plait it until he has completed the term of
his dedication: he shall keep himself holy to the LORD. During the whole
term of his vow he shall not go near a corpse, not even when his father or
mother, brother or sister, dies; he shall not make himself ritually unclean
for them, because the Nazirite vow to his God is on his head. He shall keep
himself holy to the LORD during the whole term of his Nazirite vow.
If someone suddenly falls dead by his side touching him and thereby
making his hair, which has been dedicated, ritually unclean, he shall shave
his head seven days later, on the day appointed for his ritual cleansing. On
the eighth day he shall bring two turtle-doves or two young pigeons to the
priest at the entrance to the Tent of the Presence. The priest shall offer one
as a sin-offering and the other as a whole-offering and shall mae expiation
for him for the sin he has incurred through contact with the dead body;
and he shall consecrate his head afresh on that day. The man shall re-
dedicate himself to the LORD for the term of his vow and bring a yearling
ram as a guilt-offering. The previous period shall not be reckoned, because
the hair which he dedicated became unclean.
The law for the Nazirite, when the term of his dedication is completed,
shall be this. He shall be brought to the entrance to the Tent of he Presence
and shall present his offering to the LORD: one yearling ram without blemish
as a whole-offering, one yearling ewe without blemish as a sin-offering, one
ram without blemish as a shared-offering, and a basket of cakes made of
flour mixed with oil, and of wafers smeared with oil, both unleavened,
together with the proper grain-offerings and drink-offerings. The priest
shall present all these before the LORD and offer the man's sin-offering
and whole-offering; the ram he shall offer as a shared-offering to the
LORD, together with the basket of unleavened cakes and the proper grain-
offering and drink-offering. The Nazirite shall shave his head at the
entrance to the Tent of the Presence, take the hair which has been dedicated
and put it on the fire where the shared-offering is burning. The priest shall
take the shoulder pf the ram, after boiling it, and take also one unleavened
cake from the basket and one unleavened wafer, and put them on the palms
of the Nazirite's hands, his hair which had been dedicated having been
shaved. The priest shall then present them as a special gift before the LORD;
these, together with the breast of the special gift and the leg of the contribu-
tion, are holy and belong to the priest. When this has been done, the
Nazirite is again free to drink wine.
Such is the law for the Nazirite who has made his vow. Such is the
offering he must make to the LORD for his dedication, apart from anything
else that he can afford. He must carry out his vow in full according to the
law governing his dedication.
The LORD spoke to Moses and said, Speak to Aaron and his sons in these
words: These are the words with which you shall bless the Israelites:
The LORD bless you and watch over you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD look kindly on you and give you peace.
They shall pronounce my name over the Israelites, and I will bless them.
The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970
Posted Apr 7, 2019, 2:46 PM UTC
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